But here’s the thing: Even if Bowman insists on continuing the error of Kane at center, the GM still looks at least two players short of a formidable top six. In fact, he might be three players short. This is not a “minor’’ tweak in my country.

Jonathan Toews missed a major part of a season again because of a concussion, which seems to be a pattern with the Hawks captain, and even if it isn’t, I still didn’t see the game-changing Toews I’m used to. Toews still has a lot to show.

Marian Hossa, meanwhile, has even more to show after Coyotes thug Raffi Torres turned the Hawks winger into a human bobblehead. Bowman said Hossa “continues to improve.’’ Question is, does Hossa know it?

For those of you keeping score at home, your top penalty-killing forwards are concussion issues.

For those of you keeping score at home, two of your slickest power-play forwards are concussion issues, and the power play stunk so badly at the end that you’d think the Cubs were in charge of it.

Your roll call of top-six forwards continues with Kane, who’s out of position, and Patrick Sharp, who’s good anywhere.

I mean, Andrew Shaw? I like his game, but he has a lot to prove. Like, playing a full season and postseason.

Who else? A post-op Dan Carcillo? Yes. Well. Moving right along . . .

Sorry, but when you cannot muster six top-six forwards, you’re not just tweaking. You’re looking at some kind of major surgery, especially when you don’t have two legit centers in the group. See the Stanley Cup-winning Kings for details.

That’s why I hope Bowman is lying. I hope he has plans to start at the top of his roster and start this weekend at the draft. If they can get a top-six forward for any defenseman except Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, I vote yes. Yes, even Nick Leddy.

Look, I just saw the Kings trade 25-year-old defenseman Jack Johnson for dangerous winger Jeff Carter, and I just saw Carter skate around with the Cup. Maybe I’m caught up in the moment, but the only Cup the Hawks can win is next season’s Cup, presuming there is a next season, which I kind of doubt, but either way, I don’t want to hear about grinders and depth and blah, blah, blah until an opponent with one checking line faces a tough matchup decision against the Hawks.

This is a big issue for the kind of puck-possession team the Hawks used to be and want to be again. You need talent to play that way, but the Hawks don’t have enough top-end talent to do it. Worse, and some of their top talent might be one hard check away from a three-month nap.

So, I hope Bowman is lying. Because it’s a lot easier to rectify fibs than bad judgment leading to continued playoff failure.